


You were saying, Katara!?

by RosalineLevesque



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang and Katara are DONE, Aged-Up Character(s), Attempt at Humor, Crack, Fluff, Gen, Humor, I tried but it ain't good people, M/M, Post-Canon, The rest are confused, This fic features Zukaang wedding and Sokka being an evil genius, Toph supports Sokka being a crackhead, a bit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24660250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosalineLevesque/pseuds/RosalineLevesque
Summary: Katara giggled behind her hand. At what? He assumes the sheer impossibility of the "nonsense" she was about to say. "Please, the day we start calling you Sokka The Great is the day Aang marries the Fire Lord."As they say, famous last words.
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & The Gaang (Avatar), Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 715
Collections: A:tla





	You were saying, Katara!?

By all means, that argument between Sokka and Katara shouldn't be so easy to recall. It happened years ago. It was just one of many previous and part of much, much more to come. And it wasn't the worst, far from it. So why Aang can remember this in particular with such startling clarity, he isn't sure.

Until one fateful night.

* * *

Said argument took place not long after passing through The Great Divide, which made him remembering that brief back and forth among a sea of quarrels all the more ridiculous.

A bit of flying on Appa made the group quickly realise that the bison had yet to regain his full strength. Carrying the elderly and the sick of the two warring tribes had taken its toll on him. The three of them began searching around for a fitting spot to land on, he himself in a bigger hurry than Katara and Sokka. A pang of guilt was bubbling at the base of his gut, driving him to make up for not tending to his friend earlier. 

They decided on a clearing just outside the forest bordering the canyon. Appa rolled on his back as soon as they got off. He was breathing heavily, his giant tongue stuck out to let oxygen in and his head buried in the long strands of grass for comfort. Aang petted him apologetically. 

_'If those people had been anything like their fellow tribe members, Appa must have had a rough journey too.'_ He remembers thinking.

Sokka, in a similar position to what Appa'd taken a fancy to, was staring at him thoughtfully, nose scrunched up and mouth opening and closing. Not much in the mood to talk himself, Aang stared back in utmost solemnity, gaze occasionally travelling from Sokka to Momo - who had sat down next to the other boy - and back to Sokka. He idly noted the resemblance in facial expression.

Katara threw both scrutinising looks from her spot.

"What is it?" she asked somewhere down the line.

"Nothing. Just-" Sokka sat up, then pointed at Aang "I'm not sure inventing that story was the best way to deal with the Zhang and the Gan Jin."

Aang could admit that the Great Divide fiasco remains a rather poor job in his career as "The World's Perpetual Therapist" ( nickname graciously given to him a few years back by Zuko after a not quite as gracious political meeting ). In the heat of things, he allowed himself to be driven by his irritation and hollow stomach. A fact he isn't proud of.

In its immediate aftermath, he consoled himself and soothed his insecuiriy with worst case scenarios.

"I'm not sure either, but I didn't know what else to do! Both sides were way too stubborn to give in and their leaders have showed no care for potentially dying in a duel. I think that would have only worsened things between them." he answered, distressed.

"While it wasn't the most ethical way to solve the problem, -" Katara intervened "It's not as if we could derail our own mission and escort them all the way to Ba Sing Se to make sure they act civilised."

Her brother shook a finger at her. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying we should have continued playing babysitters, but I feel as though that lie might return and bite us in the ass in the future."

"At least they'd have something to bond over?" Aang half-asked sheepishly, placing upon hismelf the task of lighting the mood.

Sokka didn't appear very appreciative, however. "Oh, yes. United through their mutual annoyance at the Avatar, who lied to them. Fantastic."

His tone was dry, so dry it might have made a desert jealous. Scratch "a" actually, all the deserts jealous.

Katara stayed to the side, not moving from her grass cushion. Her arms were tightly crossed and had been crossed tighter and tighter throughout the discussion, much like her face. 

Aang watched her features twist. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, relaxed, then furrowed again, going through the motions of confused concern and fond vexation. Seamlessly intertwined, of course. 

A page in Katara's body language book he's become a close acquaintance with through the passage of time.

They settled soon into a light frown that was gifted to Sokka in a neat package, tied with a question as the bow.

"Where does this negativism come from?" she pressed him.

"We don't exactly have the best track record." he declared, a note of exasperation entering his words "Guys, think about this. We usually end up getting into some sort of trouble, right? And when things seem to slow down? When we think our trouble is over?...BAM-"

He brought his palms together, creating a ringing 'clap' noise. Momo yelped, jumping out of his skin and rushing onto Aang's shoulder, from where he enveloped the boy's ears in his wings. Aang, in return, covered Momo's while Katara did it for herself and the grass for Appa. 

Sokka went on with his speech, undisturbed by the suffering audience. 

"-We find ourselves in a deeper ditch than the first. It's a cycle that the Universe never tires of."

After finishing his rant, he tilted his head back to face the sky. Aang and Katara exchanged amused side-eyes. A clenched fist joined the opposition against "The Universe". It moved to and fro with a viciousness matched only by Sokka's own mumbled "Jerk".

The two snorted in perfect unison. Even in the present, no matter how used they have become to Sokka's antics, they will keep on holding a special place in their busy schedules for "Teasing Sokka Time".

Aang concentrates and the next image in his mind gains shape: Katara growing quiet. Her mouth quirked down and her arms were untangled from their hold. Her stiff shoulders screamed the embarrassment inside. "Even so, given how we ourselves got caught up in their mess from nothing more than a night spent with each tribe, I doubt we could have thought of anything better."

Past her brother's lips soared a squeaky sound, prompting Katara to notice Sokka turning around towards her, a glint in his eyes that may have only been described as indignant. "You don't know that." he huffed out.

An air of confidence graced Katara. "Really?"

"Really!"

"Oh, if only the Zhang hadn't lured you to their side with meat, your negotiation skills might have been put to good use." 

With his sister all triumphant and his friend stifling a laugh in a hopeless attempt to play the neutral party, Aang knew Sokka needed to retaliate quickly.

He got all up in Katara's face, stomping towards her spot and crouching down to her level. "Well, firstly, don't pretend like it's only me who was swayed by food last night.100% a certain someone here was as well and I'm not talking about Momo and the bugs he catches!"

Right on cue, the lemur caught another.

"Secondly-" Sokka continued "if I'd had the time, maybe I could have forged a plan. I'm creative like that."

Katara lowered her head mockingly. "I apologise, ooo Sokka the Great. I didn't mean to question your amazing diplomacy skills."

There was silence. Sokka, strangely, seemed not to have heard her. He straigthened himself and stroked his chin with a dreamy look and a hopeful wind ruffling his hair ( which Aang totally didn't bend trying to snap him out of it )

"Sokka the Great, huh?" he hummed "I could get used to that."

Correction. He had heard her. He simply had selective hearing. A powerful weapon in grave times. Aang has learnt to respect the wisdom in it.

"I...kind of doubt it's going to catch on, Sokka." he told him directly, biting the inside of his cheek. It wasn't the best time to laugh.

Katara was of a different opinion. She giggled behind her hand. At what? He assumes the sheer impossibility of the "nonsense" she was about to say. "Please, the day we start calling you Sokka The Great is the day Aang marries the Fire Lord."

As they say, famous last words.

In hindsight, it _is_ pretty funny.

Young Aang and Sokka, sadly, didn't have the experience required to truly appreciate the cosmic joke sitting in front of them.

Sokka especially showed his distaste for fine comedy.

"Katara!" he spluttered "If you care about my mental health the littlest bit, you will refrain from giving me those...mental images."

Sokka shivered every few seconds, a sure sign of the mental images popping up. His cheeks were bulging, a greenish tint colouring them. Katara followed it all in morbid astonishment.

The good news was, the grass could have masked their averse reactions without a hitch.

After all, Aang didn't feel far behind Sokka.

Still...he pushed the sensation down for a brief moment. "Good one, Katara! As if that would happen!"

Following that, they managed to shake off the dread crawling up their spines, Katara pointedly avoided talking until they were ready to leave and the incident faded from their collective consciousness, never to be mentioned again.

If only...

* * *

This is why Aang is lying restlessly awake the night before his wedding, eyes blown wide open. In his arms sleeps his fiancè, unaware of the crisis he's undergoing.

It must be a warning, sent to Aang in his sleep in order to prevent a huge disaster from befalling upon them during the wedding. A disaster connected to that memory, somehow.

Maybe Sokka was right to worry all those years ago and the tribes would show up to express their grievances to the Avatar during the vows. Maybe the field they were staying in is the house of an ancient spirit who doesn't appreciate almost getting puked on, Avatar puke or not. Maybe-

"Aang, I can hear you thinking." Zuko whispers in a raspy voice, peeking one eye open in the dark. It stills him. Beyond the tiredness, there's a tint of worry that Aang wishes he could wipe away as effortlessly as he put it there. He reaches out to brush his fingers through Zuko's crown of hair, only for him to gently bump his head against Aang's chin.

Any further conversation ends at that, at Zuko's breath falling back into a rhythm and Aang listening to it with a full heart.

Perhaps his brain is messing with him, riding the high of his built up mountain of anxiousness.

Because there is no way. There's definitely no way.

Katara has not commented on it. He himself has barely recollected it. Sokka couldn't possibly-

_"Aang, I'm so unbelievably happy you chose me to be your best man. This means a lot. I promise I'll do my best to be **great**."_

_"There's no need for jitters, buddy, the ceremony will turn out **great**."_

_"I've been working on my speech with Toph. Trust me, it's **great**."_

_" **Great** -"_

_" **Great** -"_

_" **Great** -"_

Monkey feathers.

* * *

"-And with that said, I wish these jerkbenders a happy marriage and life together as they drive themselves up the wall because of work. When they finally can't anymore with all the stuck up delegates they meet, at least they'll have each other."

Their group erupts in cheerful applause, uplifting the already sunny atmosphere. The grooms smile warmly.

Early into preparations, Zuko and Aang decided their wedding would be split in two parts: open and closed. As the Fire Lord and the Avatar respectively their chances of being able to ditch a big ceremony for something intimate are close to none. Also, potentially problematic. 

Both have always been aware of this. As such, they hosted one celebration in The Fire Nation capital two days ago. The rest of the Nations' leaders, political figures, allies from the 100 Year War and so on were all invited to the palace.

The very next day, the newlyweds, joined by their friends and family, hopped onto Appa and Druk at the first hour in the morning. They flew straight to Air Temple Island. The Air Acolytes living in Republic City were informed of their plans months in advance, that's how they got their little sanctuary where formal attitudes can be put down and forgotten.

Aang has never seen a place more fulfilling. No crowd is swarming in every direction of the room. No press eager for a story is buzzing in the yard.

A small gathering outside the public eye is nothing sort of an exhilarating prospect for the world leaders, who agree on the matter that being surrounded by gawking onlookers can suffocate even the more attention tolerant partner ( A.k.a not Zuko ).

Aang feels positively on cloud nine. He's officially married to the man he loves, his best friend, the most important people in his life are beside him, safe and happy for them and they live in a world where this union is possible to begin with. They helped shape this era, made _them_ possible. 

Not to mention, Sokka hasn't brought up **it** in his speech. Not once.

Life is good.

"And before I hand the reins over to Katara to carry out her own toast, I have one last thing I want to mention." Sokka announces with glee.

It's incredible how hopes and dreams can be torn to shreds by a sentence alone.

"This message is dedicated to one of the grooms specifically-"

They weren't getting out of this.

"Aang, buddy, I hope you and Katara are ready."

Where was the selective hearing when you needed it?

"Way back then, before we even reached the North Pole my sister made an interesting point, crazy and terrifying sounding at the time, yet here we are."

Past Avatars help him-

"Zuko is the Fire Lord and you finally tied the knot with him. It's time Aang and Katara made good on their word."

He refuses to believe this is real.

"From now on, I expect to be addressed as Sokka The Great by the two of you, however, I will permit the following forms-"

Katara is currently facepalming.

"Sokkgreat-"

Aang's forehead is high fiving the table.

"Your Greatness-"

Toph has started hollering.

"The-Sokka-We-Know-Is-Great-And-Are-Grateful-For-"

Zuko has been granted a first row seat to his husband's demise.

"The Great Warrior of the South-"

This is how you defeat the Avatar, take notes Ozai.

"And The Greatest! You were saying, Katara!?"

Toph, the traitor, has fallen on her back in the middle of this whole mess. She clutches her stomach, where wet stains cover her shirt. Toph's laugh originates from somewhere deep, an ancient corner residing in her heart. 

Her urge to make fun of Aang. Forevermore.

Suki helps her up. She and Zuko observe their significant others, intensely baffled. They are waiting for an explaination, but Sokka says nothing to either one, wiggling his eyebrows instead.

Katara might just freeze her brother's brows into place after she is done with her tea. She sips lightly and calmly in contrast to her thunderous glare. Iroh passes by its range to hand Ursa a cup.

Aang, personally, has never been more inclined to bend himself into the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the middle of my ATLA rewatch, I'm having Zukaang feels and here we are.
> 
> This is my first fic written for the Avatar fandom, so I hope it's at least adequate.
> 
> If you anyone wants to talk about Avatar with me, you can check my tumblr:  
> https://roselevesque.tumblr.com
> 
> As always, KUDOS, COMMENTS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ARE ALL VERY MUCH APPREICIATED!


End file.
